Like Red on a Rose
by K.D. Lynn
Summary: For Jane and Lisbon, nothing is ever perfect. Even when they build the life they had been dreaming of, it doesn't come without bumps along the way. Jisbon. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Red Last Stand

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic, and I really hope all turns out well. I'm not exactly sure how long this will be, although I am aiming for a multichapter. I have been reading Mentalist fanfics for months now, and finally got the courage to write on of my own. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist. I wish! **

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**Like Red on a Rose**

The sound of a gunshot could be heard echoing throughout a dilapidated vacant house on outskirts of the Sacramento city limits. Patrick Jane looked past the pistol in his shaking hand to the scene that was in front of him. A man in a grotesque mask clutching a sharp knife was now slumped over the still body of Special Agent Teresa Lisbon.

Jane ran over and threw the man, who now had a bullet hole through the back of his head and was oozing blood, off of Lisbon. He stared at her lying on the icy stainless-steel table among knives and other various tools that looked as if they came out of a horror movie. Surprisingly, Lisbon did not have one scratch on her, yet she was unconscious. She had small pools of crimson around her neck where the blood from the man's gunshot wound trickled onto her.

"Lisbon," Jane shook the shoulder of the woman laying in front of him. He assumed she had been drugged up with a potentially fatal tranquilizer. Frantically he reached out and brushed the hair off her neck to feel for a pulse. He placed three fingers against her cool clammy skin. "Don't do this to me, please, Lisbon."

"Teresa...please..." He couldn't breathe and he felt like his world was caving in around him. His deep blue-green eyes were full of tears that refused to fall. Jane knelt beside Lisbon, pressing his fingers harder into her neck, searching for any sign of life. Then he felt it. The best feeling he had ever felt. A faint little_ thump thump_ against his fingers. He let out a breath he had been holding for what seemed like hours.

He fumbled his phone out of his pocket, his eyes never once leaving Lisbon. He quickly dialed 911.

"911, What's your emergency?" The voice of the operator was calm and steady, something Jane needed at the moment.

"I need an ambulance, fast. My best friend... she's unconscious with an unsteady pulse and has been drugged up and... I don't know what to do." Jane paced back and forth in front of Lisbon in a state of mild panic.

"Sir, please stay calm, I have pinpointed your location but you need to tell me what happened so I can relay the information to the paramedics who are on their way to the scene."

"Okay, calm, I can stay calm." Jane took a deep breath in before continuing. "My best friend... She is a CBI agent. She was lured into a house, and he got to her before I could save her... and I don't know what he gave to her. He was going to kill her. He had the knife in his hand when I walked in... and I had to shoot him to save her."

"Sir, there is more than one person injured? Do you know the attacker and could you describe the extent of his injuries?" The operator was now obviously confused on what happened. When she first received the call, she brushed it off as a common accidental drug overdose. Now she saw that this was definitely serious and more authorities needed to be dispatched to the scene.

"Red John, he's dead now. I shot him." Patrick glanced over at the body laying on the floor. The man who had destroyed his life once and may have destroyed him again if Lisbon didn't get help quick.

The line was silent for a minute. The dispatcher obviously didn't know how to respond to what Jane had just said. She was the first person besides the man on the other end of the line to get news that the most wretched serial killer in the state of California had been finally slain. When she finally spoke all she could mumble was "Oh... thank God."

Jane understood the woman's relief, but could not fancy himself to the same feeling. The single most important person was in front of him, obviously fighting for her life. Jane's eyes made their way to her face. Her facial expression was relaxed, almost peaceful looking, but not quite. He once again knelt beside her and grabbed her hand. It felt cool and clammy against his warm hand. The last time he held her hand it was just after his fingers had almost been chopped off by Lorelei Martins. Now his still intact fingers gently wrapped around her petite hand and gave a small squeeze. It wasn't until the voice of the 911 dispatcher jolted him from his daze that he realized he hadn't hung up the phone.

"Sir, help is on the way."

Jane didn't respond. The phone slid out from his grip and fell to the floor. Still grasping Lisbon's hand, he gazed at her face. Tears started running down the sides of his cheeks as he spoke to her.

"Oh god Teresa, I am so sorry."

Then he felt the second best feeling he had ever felt. The weak, shaky squeeze of his hand by the woman in front of him. All Jane could do was smile because in that moment he felt a surge of hope that maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out all right.

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**A/N: Well, there you have chapter one! My other chapters will definitely be longer than this. I was just setting the scene for what goes on later! I probably won't go into detail about the whole Red John take down, because that is not what this fanfic will be about. Review, review, review! **


	2. Chapter 2: Red Lights

**A/N: Thank you everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed this story! It means so much to me just knowing that at least one other person beside me is reading it. I am so excited to continue writing! So without further ado, chapter two! (That rhymed!)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still do not own The Mentalist.**

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**Chapter 2: Red Lights**

Sirens could be heard in the distance, quickly getting closer. When he heard the voices of paramedics nearby, Jane released Lisbon's hand and made his way to the front door of the old house in order to lead them in. Jane was shocked to see three police cars, two ambulances, and one all-too familiar looking CBI vehicle.

Three burly men equipped with all sorts of medical gear quickly jumped out of one ambulance, skipped up the front porch steps, and barged past Jane to the direction that he pointed to with his outstretched arm and index finger. Jane trailed right behind them, ready to be of any assistance possible.

"How long has she been unconscious?" One of the paramedics asked Jane while unraveling an IV tube.

"I...I don't know. I found her like this about fifteen minutes ago. I could barely feel her pulse and her breathing was really shallow, barely noticeable."

"Okay Barry, get her hooked up to the IV, we need to flush this crap out of her ASAP!" The oldest of the paramedics barked to the younger ones.

Jane cringed as the younger man pierced Lisbon's skin with a sharp needle. He was thankful, however, that that was the only thing that had pierced her flesh today. If he would have been five minutes later arriving to the house, she probably would have been sliced up in the most gruesome way imagined. Images of Angela and Charlotte passed through his mind. Ones of them cut up on their bed, blood covering the floor, and the giant finger-painted smiley on the wall. Jane couldn't imagine what would have happened if he had found Lisbon in the same way. He might have very well ended his life then and there, a classic Romeo and Juliet scene where Romeo would come in and find his Juliet dead and would then take his own life.

Lisbon was his best friend. His anchor. His savior. She was the woman who forgave him constantly and put up with his endless flow of traps, lies, and deceit. She saw past his brokenness and loved him through the worst. When he came to the CBI years ago, he never expected to gain anything except, of course, the revenge on Red John. Instead, he developed a friendship and a partnership with Agent Teresa Lisbon.

And he loved her. Loved her more than anyone else on earth. And he could probably even admit to himself he had romantic feelings for her. He wanted to love her more, but with Red John still in the picture, that wasn't possible.

Two things, both concerning Red John, held him back from declaring his love for her. First of all, he didn't want to make her a bigger target than she already was. Want to get to Jane? Hurt the people closest to him. Secondly, Jane couldn't give himself entirely to Lisbon if he was still on the Red John case. Most people assumed that for Jane, revenge came first, over everything. People always told Lisbon that she was just a pawn to Jane in his quest for revenge, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Jane needed to get the weight off his shoulders before he could even start putting the pieces of his soul back together. With Red John still out there, the pieces were merely taped together, by none other than Teresa Lisbon. Once Jane got revenge on Red John, he could open his eyes to the future.

And revenge he got.

But now, there was a bigger problem. The only person he could see being with in the future was being rolled onto a gurney by three big men.

"Bart, get her some oxygen, lets get her in the truck," one of the men ordered.

All at once, the three men lifted the gurney and carried Lisbon out of the house. Jane followed quickly behind them. As they were making their way out, three SACPD officers sprinted in. They didn't question Jane, they already had enough information for now. All three knew that Jane killed Red John. They walked over to dead man on the floor and flipped him over to his back. One officer bent down and pulled back the mask on Red John's face to reveal his identity. Jane was still watching in the doorway as the face of the killer was revealed. Jane took one look at the face he knew and watched as the officers gaped in shock.

Jane didn't care, he just turned around and jogged to the ambulance. Once the paramedics had hoisted her into the back of the ambulance, he stepped up into the back to take a seat next to her.

"Hey, are you family?" barked one of the men.

"I am her partner." replied Jane with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Her husband?"

"NO. Her partner." Jane was frustrated as hell at this point because all these terms were just technicalities and didn't matter in their relationship.

"Sir, you have to get off, or we will make you get off. Family only." The older paramedic was arguing with Jane while one other was securing the gurney to the ambulance, while the third one was starting up the engine.

"I am _not _leaving." The older paramedic stood up and grabbed Jane's arm and led him towards the back doors.

"Sir, by doing this you are prolonging the time it takes to get her to the hospital. Please, just make it easy on us and yourself, and get off." Suddenly a person from below clutched Jane's forearm and yanked him, causing him to jump off the ambulance. Before Jane saw who it was, he whipped around trying desperately to get back in with Lisbon. The doors slammed shut and Jane began violently pounding on them almost screaming to let him back in.

The ambulance was put into gear and sped off down the road, red lights flashing until it disappeared from sight.

Jane finally turned around to face the person who had pulled him out of the ambulance. Agent Kimball Cho faced him with the usual serious look upon his face.

"You need to tell me what happened Jane." Cho crossed his arms in front of him, showing Jane that there was no way he was going to get out of this.

"I need to go with Lisbon, I will deal with all your police technicality crap later." Jane attempted to brush past Cho towards his baby blue Citroen, but Cho put his hand up against Jane's chest.

"No, you will deal with it in the car when I am taking you to the hospital." Cho ordered. Jane threw his hands up in surrender and let out an exaggerated breath.

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Jane reached over his chest and pulled the seat belt across him. The sound of the buckle snapping was the only sound to be heard before Cho broke the silence.

"You killed Red John."

"Yes, I realize that." Jane was obviously still perturbed about the whole ambulance incident.

"Jane being like this isn't going to make things better. Stop being an ass and cooperate."

"You don't understand do you? Lisbon just almost died at the hand of Red John because of me. Do you know how that feels? To see your partner, your best friend, about to be sliced in front of you. I am a little bit more than mad. I feel absolute disgust at him, at myself." Jane's tone now had more than bitterness in it.

"I understand. You can't do anything about that now. I need to know what happened. It will make things easier on you, easier on Lisbon. Do you think when she wakes up she will want to be bombarded with questions from the CBI and SACPD?"

"No," Jane murmured like a little kid.

"First of all, why was Lisbon there alone?"Cho inquired.

"When you guys went out to lunch, Lisbon got a phone call. It was an anonymous caller saying they thought they might have some information about the Greer case. It was completely unrelated to Red John, you know that. The man said that he had been walking in the neighborhood that night and saw a suspicious man running away from the scene and just wanted to talk to an agent. He gave her the address to the house, so we headed out to leave." Jane explained.

"So you were leaving with her, why didn't you go?" Cho was driving faster than the speed limit, weaving in and out of traffic slightly in order to get to the hospital quickly for Jane's sake.

"Right before we left, I got a call saying Bertram wanted to meet with me, immediately. Something had come up on the Red John case. Of course, Lisbon insisted I go to the meeting with Bertram because she didn't like to keep him waiting and she figured I would be antsy until I knew what he had to say about Red John- which of course is true."

"But you could have very well likely been with Lisbon when she went to go question the suspect, why would Red John take that chance?"

"Because Red John knew I had been called to a meeting. I arrived at Bertram's office, and his secretary told me he had been called out to an emergency press conference and he would be back within thirty minutes and that I should just wait there. So I did. That's where I was when I got Rigsby's text saying that you had just discovered the Greer case to be a suicide," Jane explained.

"That's when you realized that the tip about the man running away from the scene must have been bogus," Cho deducted.

"Yes, and that's also when I realized that someone in the CBI had to have made the call, because they knew about the case. That's also when I realized that Gale Bertram was probably not at a press conference, and Lisbon was all alone."

Cho was lost in thought, nearly running a red light. He slammed on his brakes just in time and looked at Jane. He put two and two together, and what did that equal? Gale Bertram was Red John.

"Shit. Bertram is Red John." Cho hit the steering wheel hard with his hand.

"Yeah..." murmured Jane. "So I left the office immediately and drove like a bat out of hell to the address the man had given Lisbon. I caught Bertram completely off guard. For the last year I have kept a pistol in my glove compartment in my car, don't ask why, Lisbon is just rubbing off on me I guess. I grabbed the gun and went into the house. When I came up behind him, he had the knife in the air, ready to come down on Lisbon. I didn't think, I just shot."

"You saved her life Jane, you should be proud." Cho remarked, pulling into the hospital parking lot. He drove around to the front to drop Jane off so he could go park. Jane opened the door and got out, slamming it behind him.

He wasn't proud at all. He had gotten Lisbon into this situation the moment he signed on with the CBI, and now he was going to carry her out of it.

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**A/N: There you have Chapter 2! I said I wasn't going into detail about the Red John take down, but I couldn't resist. Oh well! ****Review, review, review! **


	3. Chapter 3: Remembering Red

**A/N: I am still shocked with the feedback this story is receiving. This fandom is seriously the best. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist. I wish I could be as great as Bruno, but sadly that will never happen. **

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Jane paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. He had been waiting almost two hours and no one had told him what was going on. Cho waited with him for the first hour but decided he should go back to the scene to help close the case up. Jane had already pestered the nurses enough to nearly get kicked out, but he still knew nothing of Lisbon's condition.

Jane was nervously twisting his wedding ring when a short, pudgy nurse walked by in front of Jane with a small stack of charts nestled in the crook of her arm. Jane strode quickly towards her.

"Ma'am, I was wondering if you could tell me anything on the condition of Teresa Lisbon." The lady stopped walking and turned around towards Jane.

"Sir, we are not obligated to share information with people other than immediate family. You her husband?" Jane shook his head no.

"Sorry mister, you'll just have to wait." The nurse looked sweet, like one that all the patients would love. She was a little older, and perhaps old fashioned. Jane concluded that she, like Lisbon, was a strict follower of the rules and the law. So Jane decided to pull the authoritative card, grabbing his CBI consultant badge out of his pocket.

"I am with the CBI, and it is imperative I know her condition...for, uh, a case." Jane flashed the card in front of the nurse, who eyed it cautiously.

"Mmm..." hummed the nurse, "okay, let me see." She fingered through a few charts before finding the one that belonged to Lisbon. She scanned the chart, index finger skimming over it as she read the facts. Jane rocked nervously from his toe to heel, anxious to hear what the nurse was going to say.

"Okay, it looks like Miss Lisbon is in stable condition. Blood test found high amounts of tranquilizers in her blood system, way above the amount needed to kill someone. When she was brought in, she was in light coma, but the doctors notes here say that she started coming out of it once her stomach was pumped and she was given IV fluids to flush it out of her system," the nurse looked up to find Jane staring in midair with a dazed look upon his face.

Jane looked back at the nurse. "But she is going to be okay?"

"From what I can tell, yes. It's actually quite miraculous. Normally people with that much tranquilizer in their system fall into a deep coma and stop breathing within ten minutes. There was no sign that she ever stopped breathing completely, which could have caused permanent brain damage."

"Can I see her now?"

"Well, she may may be extremely drowsy from the tranquilizer. I doubt she would even be able to answer your questions, much less remember what happened. I don't think police questioning would be great for her recovery," the nurse looked at Jane slightly angry at the audacity of the police to want to question a patient in the condition that Lisbon was in.

"No, no, I am not here to question her. Teresa is a CBI agent. I am her consultant, her partner. And I would like to see her just to be with her."

"Oh," the nurse was not expecting to hear such concern in his voice. "I am sure I can get you back there then. Follow me."

Jane grabbed his jacket that was draped over a bland plastic chair in the waiting room and followed the nurse down a long hallway. Jane's old scuffed shoes made a soft pitter-patter against the floor as he trailed behind the woman. She stopped just short of a room, stepped aside, and motioned for Jane to go in. Jane nodded at the lady in appreciation before stepping in Lisbon's room.

The room was bleak and smelt strongly of disinfectants the way any hospital room did. Jane curiously made his way in, taking in all the sensory details around him. The faint beeping of machines could be heard in the background, along with soft chatter from the nurses station across the hall.

Jane rounded the corner and Lisbon came into view. She was laying against the hospital bed with her eyes closed. Her skin had more color to it than it had whenever she had been whisked away by the paramedics. Jane walked up to the her bedside and scooted a generic hospital chair next to Lisbon. Jane took a seat and sat back. He could at least relax his tense muscles now that he could physically see her breathing.

Jane sat there watching Lisbon's every movement, careful not to make any noise that would disturb her rest. He already made a promise to himself and a silent promise to Lisbon that he would not leave her bedside until she was able to walk out with him. He did not care how long it took, he would not leave.

Jane reflected on what had just happened in the last five hours of his life. He had been solving a regular case. He had been called to a meeting. He found Red John. He killed Red John. He realized how deep his love was for Teresa Lisbon. What a day.

He wasn't sure how he felt about taking down Red John. He knew he should be feeling ecstatic. He was very happy, but it just wasn't as satisfying as he expected it to be. Long ago he accepted that his family was gone and would not come back again, but he still felt a longing deep in his heart. Now that Red John was dead he realized it wasn't a longing for revenge on Red John, nor was it a longing to be with his family per say. It was something else deep inside that he just couldn't put a finger on. But he did find that killing Red John lifted an enormous weight off his shoulders because he no longer had to worry about the people he loved being brutally murdered. Maybe all he needed now was for Lisbon to wake up and tell him everything would be okay.

Jane was just about to walk over to the window in the room overlooking Sacramento when Lisbon started to stir. First she crinkled her face and furrowed her brow, then she began to wiggle under the thin white sheets. Jane leaned over the bed, examining her carefully.

"Lisbon, he-yyy Lisbon. It's me, Jane." Lisbon opened her eyes, quickly scanning her surroundings.

"Jane? Wha-what happened? Uhhhh and why is my head throbbing like I got hit by a freight train?" Jane couldn't respond. His smile lit up upon hearing her voice, leaving Lisbon confused.

"Why are you smiling like a fool?" Yep, his Lisbon was definitely back.

"I am so glad you are okay. You will never know how scared I was." Jane reached out and placed his hand on top of Lisbon's. She flinched slightly, but did not pull away.

"I am glad I am okay too, but could you please tell me what happened?" Lisbon was getting more aggravated by the minute.

"Red John." Jane just said those two words and Lisbon went silent.

"Red- Red John? He did this?" Lisbon clearly couldn't remember anything about this evenings events.

"What was the last thing you remember about today, Lisbon?" A look of concentration was cast upon Lisbon's face as she tried desperately to remember what had led to her being in the hospital.

"I was going to check out that lead on the Greer case. When I got there I got out of my car, and walked up to the porch. That's the last thing I remember." Lisbon watched Jane curiously as he listened intently on what he was saying.

"Okay, well it didn't take much time, so you didn't miss much," Jane said.

"Dammit Jane! Quit beating around the bush! Tell me what happened!" Jane could see the fear in Lisbon's eyes, the kind of fear someone gets when they know something bad has happened.

"Somewhere along the line Red John came and subdued you somehow. Since you aren't suffering from any bodily damage, I suspect he used a gas or chloroform rag to knock you out," Jane paused, not knowing exactly how to continue telling Lisbon how he had found Red John about to slice her up.

Lisbon saw Jane's hesitation. "Jane. I can handle it. Please, I need to know."

Jane took a deep breath in before continuing shyly. "He drugged you up with a fatal amount of tranquilizer, and was going to use you as a canvas for his next bloody masterpiece."

Lisbon looked at Jane with wide eyes. "But...but he didn't...because I am here now, untouched. Why didn't he?"

Jane looked Lisbon straight in the eye. "Because I found him first."

Lisbon gasped, "Oh my god... You... you killed Red John?"

Jane simply nodded.

"Why though, why didn't he just kill me? He didn't have to drug me up so I wouldn't feel a thing. He could have just killed me in my apartment, like every other victim." Lisbon wanted to find out everything, and more importantly now she wanted to find out who Red John really was.

"He probably thought I was getting closer, and wanted to throw me off by killing you. Make my life crumple apart so he could get two steps ahead again, when in reality I was no closer than I was when I first narrowed it down to seven suspects. He felt desperate, like he had to do it now. Or maybe, just maybe, he felt a little remorse inside, slightly sorry that he was going to have to kill one of his best agents, so he went a little easy on you.

It took a minute for Lisbon to take everything in. She put pieces of the puzzle together. The fact Red John always knew what was happening in the CBI, the fact that he knew about the Greer case and lured her to a vacant house. The fact that he called Jane into a meeting in order to get her alone.

"Oh my god, Red John is Bertram!" Jane was pleased that she had put all the information together. Now he was sure she had her full mental capacity back. Lisbon just sat in her bed, shocked, yet relieved at the same time.

The next question that popped into Lisbon's mind was "what comes next". She never really faced this question because she didn't think the capture of Red John would be so imminent. She didn't really want to think about what was next, she just wanted to rest. She also wanted to remember. It was okay to have someone recall the event of what happened, but it wasn't the same as actually knowing. A little tugging feeling inside kept nudging her to remember.

"Umm... Jane?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, Lisbon, what do you need?"

"Can you help me remember, you know, what happened? I feel like he said something to me... I just, I just can't remember." Whatever it was, Jane could tell it was really bothering Lisbon.

"Lisbon, I don't know if that's a good idea. I don't want the memories to, uh, haunt you." Jane had a look of real concern upon his face.

"No, no I don't think its something he did. He said something."

"Lisbon, you know his words can be just as harmful as his actions. Besides, it would be extremely hard to regain your memory considering you were drugged. It may be impossible for that matter." Jane crossed his arms. No way was he going to free the memories of Red John into her mind. Even though he desperately wanted to know every detail, he loved her too much to put her through that.

"Jane, please, for me," Lisbon asked with pleading green eyes, "I'd rather not spend my life wondering. I can handle it, I promise you."

Jane eyes wondered about the room for a moment silently. He finally sighed and said, "Okay. But if at anytime you show signs of being distressed, or scared, I will stop without hesitation, okay?"

"Fine...just do what you have to do." Lisbon was bracing herself, she wasn't sure exactly what memories would come back to her.

"Teresa, I need you to be as relaxed as possible," Jane reached out and grabbed Lisbon's hand, clasping it between his. It was the second time today their hands had made contact and she would be lying if she said she didn't like it. His hand was warm and enveloping around hers. It made her feel safe and protected. Lisbon's tense muscles relaxed as Jane continued, "think of a container of bubbles. You blow all the bubbles at once, and they are floating in the air. They are gently falling to the ground, and you pop some too. As the bubbles pop, you are beginning to reach a state of tranquility," It wasn't hard to get Lisbon nearly asleep because she was still drowsy from the tranquilizer. Jane continued to smoothly talk to Lisbon, calmly tracing circles on the back of her hand, "now there is only one bubble left, floating freely in front of your face. You can see anything you want to see in it."

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_She didn't know where she was exactly. She wasn't quite sure how she had gotten there either. The room seemed to be spinning around in circles also. She was laying on something hard and cold elevated off the ground. A table perhaps? The detective cop instinct took over immediately as she recalled what she had been doing at such a location. The Greer case. A man called saying he had a lead. She must have been lured in here._

"_Hello, Teresa," a shrill voice rang out somewhere to the side of her. Lisbon slowly turned her head. She felt as if her body was made of lead. It was hard to move her head, much less her extremities._

"_Who- who are you?" Lisbon questioned._

_The man laughed. "Well, you know me by several names. My given name, and of course, the infamous name I have ever- so- graciously given myself."_

_Lisbon just looked at him with confused eyes. _

"_You still don't get it. Well why don't we play a game, Teresa?"_

_Lisbon gulped. She wasn't liking this situation one bit. She couldn't move, she had no way of calling for help, and this man looked intent on doing serious harm to her. _

"_I already have backup called, they are on their way. Why don't you make it easy on yourself and give it up now?"_

_The masked man laughed again. "You are lying to me, Teresa. Patrick was right when he said cops were bad liars, especially you." _

_The way he had said "Patrick" sent chills down Lisbon's spine. _

"_You know, Patrick is going to be very disappointed when he sees what I have done to you. I wonder if it will cause as much damage as when I took his lovely wife and daughter away. Such a shame, they were lovely ladies, they really were."_

_Lisbon froze, and in that moment she swore her heart stopped beating. No. It couldn't be. Not Red John. This wasn't supposed to happen!_

"_Red John," is all she could murmur. _

"_Very good agent!" The man's voice got even higher, if that was possible. The voice sounded obviously like a disguise. Nobody talked like that in real life. But Lisbon couldn't even tell if this was real anymore. _

"_Why?" asked Lisbon. _

"_Well, why not, Teresa? Patrick has been getting closer to finding me. But of course, I will never let that happen. I just need something to distract him for a while. Maybe your death would do the trick?" His words sent shivers all throughout her body. This couldn't be the end. She still had things to take care of. Well at least one thing. _

"_No. Don't please, don't do this." Lisbon hated pleading with people, sounding desperate, like she didn't have control of the situation. At this point, however, she felt like she didn't have a choice. _

"_Don't worry Teresa, I have decided to be kind to you. Rarely do I show this kind of congenial attitude towards my victims, but you have always been... one of my favorites. Special to me in a way. Maybe it is because you and your team are so good at mowing down my competition, I suppose you could say. I mean your team does have the highest solve rate in the state, right?"_

_Lisbon couldn't find any words, so Red John continued. "I will allow you to die peacefully. Then, of course, I will use your body to create my next masterpiece. Patrick won't know the difference... And you? Well it will be our little secret you can take to the grave." _

_Red John grabbed a brown bottle off the table, along with a clear plastic tube that was about one inch in diameter. He grabbed Lisbon's chin, and pried her mouth open. Lisbon tried with all her might to keep mouth closed, but the strong grip of his hand was over powering. Tears slid down the sides of Lisbon's cheeks as she felt him shove the rubber tube down her throat. She could hear the unscrewing of the brown bottle as he raised it up even with her eyes. He carefully put the mouth of the bottle up to the top of the tube and tilted it over. Lisbon watched as the contents slid through the clear tube into her body. She could feel the liquid running through her esophagus, leaving a numbing sensation in its wake. _

_Red John pulled the tube out of her throat, leaving her gagging. _

"_I would approximate you have about five minutes of consciousness left. Anything you would like me to pass on to your friends, family, or... Patrick? Because you know I will. I like to grant people's dying wishes. Unless of course, it is for me to die." The man belted out a laugh once more. Lisbon vaguely remembered the laugh from somewhere, but she couldn't really think back at the moment. _

"_You better hurry it up, you are running out of time. I am positive you would like to say something to at least Patrick. Maybe an 'I'm sorry for doing this to you'?" _

_This man was truly sick, Lisbon thought. He was killing her and she should be sorry? But there was something she would like to say to Jane. Actually, there was a lot of things. About how she was thankful he had been assigned to her team. How he was her absolute best friend. How she actually didn't mind his antics that made her life a whole lot less mundane. How he made her a better person. How he saved her. There was so much she wanted to tell him. Now as she lay there slowly dying, she realized her biggest regret in life. Not being able to tell Jane how much he meant to her, how much she cared. _

"_The clock is ticking, Teresa."_

_She could feel herself slipping under. There was no way she could fit all the things she wanted to tell him in now. _

_She mustered the last amount of strength she had into her last words before falling into complete darkness. "Tell Patrick that I love him."_

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Lisbon's eyes snapped open. Only a couple of minutes had actually passed by, but she had remembered what she wanted to remember. She had confessed her love for Patrick.

"Lisbon? Did you remember?" Jane gazed at Lisbon, searching for any signs that she was now mentally traumatized. He couldn't sense trauma, but instead something else. Embarrassment?

"Yes." Lisbon quickly snapped.

"Well? What is bothering you? You seem...embarrassed or something."

"No, I am not! Just, uhg, I'm tired. Let me rest." Lisbon pulled the covers over her shoulder and shut her eyes.

"No, Lisbon, something happened. I knew I should not have let you retrieve those memories."

"Nothing happened, I swear!" Lisbon's green eyes met Jane's blue-green.

"Lisbon, please, I know when you are lying. If not for yourself, will you please share for me? That way I won't be kicking myself every night wondering what Red John said and did to you?" Jane's expression grew serious, "Lisbon, you don't understand. If I would have found you dead...I don't think...I just don't think I could do it. My heart stopped when I saw you laying there. I need you to know how sorry I am, I know this is all my fault."

"Jane, what happened is not your fault. None of it is. Please, understand that." Lisbon desperately wanted to tell Jane that she loved him, no matter what. She just didn't know if he could handle that right now though.

"What is bothering you so much Lisbon, tell me, I am begging you, tell me." Jane was pleading with her now. She could feel the dam keeping her emotions back start to crack. She had been keeping it in for a while now, and with this whole Red John brush-with-death-fiasco she couldn't help but let the flood gates open.

Her eyes filled with tears that started trickling down her cheeks. Jane was already sitting on the edge of the hospital chair close to Lisbon, but the scene of her crying prompted him to sit on the edge of her bed. He gently reached up and brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. She clutched his hand against her face, pressing his palm onto her cheek. It felt so warm, yet tender against her soft skin.

"Teresa, please don't cry. I am going to help you. Do what ever it takes to keep you safe. I won't let you down again, I promise." Lisbon released her grip on his hand, but he kept it there at her face a few seconds longer before reaching down to clasp her hands between his.

"Thank you," Lisbon whispered, "for everything."

Jane responded simply by scooting his body up the bed in order to lay next to Lisbon.

"Get some sleep, Teresa, I'll be right here when you wake up." At that Lisbon swung her arm across his chest, in the most comfortable position she could think of. She was indeed very tired, so it didn't take long before day faded into darkness.

Jane lay there basking in the feeling of Teresa Lisbon wrapped around him. It was really a feeling he would like to get used to. He moved his chin over her head and put one arm gently around her waist before he too fell asleep.

Maybe tomorrow Lisbon would tell him what was bothering her. Maybe tomorrow he would tell Lisbon that he loved her.

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**A/N: There ya have it! Chapter 3! I told everyone I wasn't going into the whole Red John scene, but I suppose my muse couldn't resist. This story kind of has a mind of its own. I am hoping to pick up the pace a little in Chapter 4, but who knows what will happen! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all for your continued support! I truly hope everyone of you is enjoying this story, and if you aren't, there are so many other great stories out there! I am super sorry for the time it has taken me to upload this, but I have been awfully busy. Any-oh-whooo enjoy Chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist. It would be awesome if I did. Maybe I can buy a share of it in the stock market? **

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Jane woke up to sunlight streaming in the window overlooking downtown Sacramento. Lisbon was curled up next to him, her face snuggled in his chest. Her left hand clutched his vest tightly- he was sure that was going to leave some wrinkles. Jane attempted to stretch out best he could without waking Lisbon. A dull pain spread throughout his back and neck. _This is the last time I will sleep in a hospital bed, _Jane thought. He reached around his waist with one arm to massage his back in hope of soothing his sore muscles.

The little movement he made, however, was enough to rouse Lisbon from her sleep. She slowly uncurled her body and stretched out before opening her eyes. When she did finally open them, she was greeted with the stunning view of Jane's mesmerizing blue-green eyes.

"Mmm...good morning Jane," she sheepishly said.

"Good morning, Lisbon. How was your rest?" Jane seemed more cheerful than normal. That was a good sign, Lisbon thought. Maybe he wouldn't suffer from some kind of breakdown after all.

"I have a pounding headache, but other than that great, considering the circumstances," she smirked.

"Oh, come on Lisbon. Laying next to me couldn't be_ that_ bad!"

"No, actually I was talking about nearly getting killed," she said semi playfully.

Jane's facial expression turned serious, and Lisbon realized what she had said just may have ruined their playful round of banter.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Lisbon looked around the room, anywhere but his eyes. She didn't want to see the hurt and grief that probably filled them since she said that.

"No, no, it's fine Lisbon. Nothing is ever going to be the same again." Jane hadn't intended it to sound like nothing was ever going to be the same in a bad way, but it did.

"Jane-" Lisbon cut in. She tried to mask the fear in her voice, but she couldn't. Was this it? Was this the moment where he would pack up his things and leave her life for good?

Suddenly a nurse strode in, breaking their conversation.

"Miss Lisbon, you have made quite the recovery! I got your new blood tests back from the lab just now." The nurse was carrying the same chart in her arm as the one that led Jane to Lisbon's room the previous day."

"Annnnd?" said Lisbon, encouraging the nurse to continue.

"The levels of the tranquilizer have decreased significantly, almost completely in fact. You could probably go home today if Dr. Becker will sign the discharge papers. I see no reason for you to stay another night." The nurse handed Lisbon a set of papers. "Here, sign these, and when the doctor comes by she can sign them and you will be free to go!"

"Yay. More paperwork," Lisbon announced sarcastically. She grabbed the sheets from the nurses hand. "Thank you," she murmured as she reached for a pen on the stand by her bed.

"The doctor will be by soon, Miss Lisbon." The nurse then walked out of the room, pumping some hand sanitizer in her hand as she left.

Lisbon held the papers in front of her, studying them.

"Jane, could you turn on the light for me? Its hard to read in the dark, all the words are mashing together."

"Sure." Jane sat up and walked to the light switch. He flipped it on and almost immediately heard a groan from Lisbon.

"Oh god, this is worse than a hangover! Turn those back off, please!" Jane immediately flipped the switch back into the off position. Lisbon groaned again as he walked back over to her bed.

"Could you fill this stuff out for me?" It was more of an order than a question.

"Of course," Jane ruffled through the papers, briefly scanning each one. "These look like more than discharge papers. They want your medical history and contact information, I guess since they couldn't exactly get it from you when you came in. Want me to fill that out too?"

"Yeah sure. Uh, I guess ask me the questions listed on there." Jane didn't respond however, as he was already busy filling out the forms.

"Jane! You do not know my medical history! Stop guessing, that is important stuff!"

"Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon," Jane tisked, "you didn't really think I could resist reading your personal file, did you?" Jane looked up at Lisbon with a smirk upon his face before returning to fill out the information.

"You are unbelievable." Lisbon sighed as she plopped against the bed.

Jane looked up again. "It wants to know who to contact in case of an emergency. Which one of your brothers do you want me to put?"

Lisbon pondered for a minute. "Don't put my brothers, they live all the way in Chicago. I don't think they even know about this whole fiasco. If I needed someone to make a decision, I would want someone near by."

Jane thought for a minute before looking down at the paper, and looking back up at Lisbon.

"Jane, you can put yourself- if you want to." Lisbon twisted the sheets nervously.

"I wouldn't mind. I mean I am always close, and I always have the calm and collected attitude!" Lisbon reached over to try to playfully slap Jane, but he pulled back and missed her hand. Jane looked back down at the papers to finish filling out the information. Lisbon didn't have to know about how his calm and collected-ness had absolutely failed him when he found her.

"Mmkay Lisbon, here are the papers." He gracefully waved the papers in front of her face for her to grab them. She still had to initial somethings and sign the bottom of every page. She grabbed the papers and started signing in the blanks, not even checking if the information was correct. Knowing Jane, it most likely was. He could _never_ be wrong.

She continued flipping through the pages until a little check mark in blue ink caught her eye. Under the information Jane had filled out about himself, there was a box to explain the relationship to the patient. There were five to choose from; parent, sibling, spouse, significant other, and then other with a blank that allowed you to elaborate. Instead of checking 'other:' and writing in 'friend' or something, he checked significant other. Lisbon was confused. Jane and her were best friends, surely he just meant it like that.

So many thoughts ran through Lisbon's mind.

_Jane couldn't have feelings for me in that way. He still loves his wife. It was just a mistake, I am taking it the wrong way. But when he said "love you" that time. Maybe he meant it. He wants to be my boyfriend now? When did this happen?_

But she signed it anyways.

So in a way she agreed. She would definitely bring it up later though.

"I know you saw it Lisbon. You stared at the same spot on the page for about two minutes." Lisbon looked over at Jane who now had a warm smile on his face.

Lisbon couldn't help but smile. God, this is what she had wanted for years. A life with Patrick Jane, free from the burden of Red John. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't want to get her hopes up. For all she knew he was just teasing. But Jane new better to toy with her emotions, right? He was a mentalist, he should know how she felt about him.

"What did you mean by that?" Lisbon whispered shyly.

"I said nothing will ever be the same. I am not letting you get away again. You are my best friend, and I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life without you. I want to build a life with you, I want you to be mine forever." Jane reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Me too," Lisbon croaked out. Tears were streaming down her face. Never had she thought the aftermath of Red John would turn out like this. But she couldn't be happier.

Jane scooted back into her bed. Neither of them said a word, she just rested her head against his chest. He was so warm and his chest felt so firm. Jane wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace.

Their loving moment was cut short when the doctor bustled in loudly.

"Miss Lisbon, I heard I have some papers to sign?" Dr. Becker looked at Lisbon with a grin as she grabbed the papers Lisbon handed out to her. She spread them across the tray next to Lisbon, signing the spaces needed hurriedly, barely looking at what exactly she was signing. When Dr. Becker was done she scooped the papers together, and looked up at Lisbon with a smile on her face.

"Well Miss Lisbon, you are free to go. Just a few precautions, however, need to be taken. Be sure not to drive or operate cars or machinery for the next forty-eight hours," Jane looked at Lisbon with a smug grin on his face. What joy letting Jane drive around would bring Lisbon. The doctor glanced at Jane, noticing his satisfied looks towards Lisbon and continued, "and we suggest someone also stay with you for the next forty-eight hours, just for safe measures."

"That will not be a problem, doctor. I will keep a very close eye on her." Jane patted Lisbon's shoulder with reassurance.

"Glad to hear. Be careful, and come back if you have any concerns whatsoever." Dr. Becker turned and started walking out but turned back towards Lisbon and Jane.

"By the way, congratulations on the take down Agent Lisbon and Mr. Jane. Quite remarkable win for law enforcement everywhere and for the whole state of California. Thank you."

With that she turned back around and strode out of the room and left Jane and Lisbon alone.

"Hear that Lisbon, hand over the keys!" Jane mocked. Lisbon playfully smacked his arm a little harder than intended.

"Better have fun while it last, because it won't happen again!"

Both Jane and Lisbon were smiling at each other like two young teenagers in love. Jane looked into Lisbon's emerald green eyes and swore he could see her gorgeous soul shining through. They stopped their friendly banter and admired each other, taking a moment to take it all in. Jane wanted to feel his lips against Lisbon's. He wanted to know what she tasted like and how her hair felt as he ran his fingers through it. But a hospital room was no place for a first kiss!

Lisbon gazed at Jane. She definitely loved this man. It was a powerful force deep within, something she couldn't control. She felt happy with him, and felt that he was the missing piece to her heart. She had realized she had more than just friendly feelings for him after the whole Vegas stunt. She had been not only worried sick, but also slightly depressed without him. He was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, or in her case, a cloudy life.

"Shall we go, madam?" Jane gestured with his hands for her to lead the way. She gathered up all she had in the room and walked out, Jane trailing close behind her. As soon as they got in the hallway, he sped up to walk beside her. He reached out and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

And they walked out of the hospital side by side, hand in hand.

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**A/N: I know this was shorter than my last few chapters, but I just wanted to put something out for you guys. I don't want to become one of those writers who leave a story unfinished! I actually could leave the story here and call it quits, but you guys gotta see at least the first kiss! Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


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